Mr Puigdemont informed the regional parliament on Tuesday night that the “folks’s will” was to interrupt away from Madrid, however he additionally mentioned he needed to “de-escalate” the stress across the situation.

He hailed the referendum course of and condemned the actions of the Spanish authorities, however acknowledged that individuals on all sides have been frightened about what would occur subsequent.

“We’re all a part of the identical neighborhood and we have to go ahead collectively. The one approach ahead is democracy and peace,” he informed deputies.

However he additionally mentioned Catalonia was being denied the suitable to self-determination, and paying an excessive amount of in taxes to the central authorities in Madrid.

Catalan police have been posted exterior the parliament in Barcelona, sealing off the grounds to the general public. A big pro-independence rally was held within the space because the parliament met.

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Reuters
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A professional-independence rally was held close to the Catalan regional parliament in Barcelona

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Reuters
Picture caption

Armed police have been deployed exterior the parliament

Independence supporters had been sharing the Catalan hashtag #10ODeclaració (10 October Declaration) on Twitter, amid expectations that Mr Puigdemont would ask parliament to declare independence on the idea of the referendum law it handed final month.

However influential figures together with Barcelona’s mayor Ada Colau and European Council President Donald Tusk had urged Mr Puigdemont to step again from declaring independence.

The Madrid authorities had known as on the Catalan chief “to not do something irreversible, to not pursue a path of no return and to not make any unilateral independence declaration”.

Mr Tusk mentioned: “Just a few days in the past I requested [Spanish] Prime Minister Rajoy to search for an answer to the issue with out the usage of power, to search for dialogue, as a result of the usage of dialogue is at all times higher.

“Variety mustn’t and needn’t result in battle whose penalties would clearly be dangerous for the Catalans, for Spain and for entire of Europe.”

Mr Rajoy is because of seem in Spain’s parliament on Wednesday. He has already mentioned any declaration of independence by Catalonia would “lead to nothing“.

A stream of corporations have introduced plans to maneuver their head places of work out of Catalonia in response to the disaster.

It’s certainly one of Spain’s wealthiest areas, accounting for 1 / 4 of the nation’s exports.

The European Union has made clear that ought to Catalonia cut up from Spain, the area would stop to be a part of the EU.

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Media captionWhat do Scottish nationalists take into consideration Catalonia?

Catalonia, part of the Spanish state for hundreds of years however with its personal distinct language and tradition, enjoys broad autonomy below the Spanish structure.

Nevertheless, a 2005 modification redefining the area as a “nation”, boosting the standing of the Catalan language and rising native management over taxes and the judiciary was reversed by the Constitutional Court docket in 2010.

The financial disaster additional fuelled discontent and pro-independence events took energy within the area within the 2015 elections.

Makes an attempt to carry a authorized Scottish-style referendum on independence have gotten nowhere with the Spanish authorities.